October 2005 Birthday Drabbles

October 2005 Birthday Collection

2. for Raksha - HIstory Becomes Legend - by Gwynnyd

When Faramir found the king, Aragorn was perched on the parapet overlooking the practice ground for the army's new recruits.

"I do not like making laws that regulate too much of a man's life, Faramir. Still, it seems I must govern the world and I need competent troops."

Faramir, fresh from a session hammering out details of yet another protectorate on Gondor's borders, agreed with him. He joined the king on the wall, and inspected the men training below. "As raw recruits, they seem no worse than usual."

"They are farmer's sons from Lamedon, or craftsmen's younger sons from Pelargir and Minas Tirith. It was their fathers, or their grandfathers, who followed me to the Black Gate. The heartlands have been at peace for many years, but our borders are always vulnerable. Shall we make a new law? Every man must practice archery at least one day a week."

"Do you feel that is really necessary?"

"From here they seem competent, but I shot with them today and it is obvious they've never had to shoot for their lives or livelihoods. They are terrible marksmen."

"They do have a new captain." Faramir tried to hide his grin, but knew he was unsuccessful.

"Yes. The best archers have always come from Blackroot Vale, and Dagnir certainly has the experience to…" Aragorn broke off, a look of horror spreading over his features. "Dagnir! He didn't!"

"His exact words were: Please, keep the king away! He insists on competing against my best men, and they resent being asked to shoot so badly in front of him."

"But…" Aragorn spluttered. "I expect the best from my troops. How could he…?"

Faramir laughed. "He's never served directly under you before. Most kings would not want to be disabused of their fantasies of being legendary warriors."

This is a work of fan fiction, written because the author has an abiding love for the works of J R R Tolkien. The characters, settings, places, and languages used in this work are the property of the Tolkien Estate, Tolkien Enterprises, and possibly New Line Cinema, except for certain original characters who belong to the author of the said work. The author will not receive any money or other remuneration for presenting the work on this archive site. The work is the intellectual property of the author, is available solely for the enjoyment of Henneth Annûn Story Archive readers, and may not be copied or redistributed by any means without the explicit written consent of the author.